Trail cams on crown land?

[Wild one]

I personally see the lack of respect coming from both sides of the fence. I don't run trail cameras or pop up blinds etc but I have encountered plenty of these things in the bush far away from the roads. It seems many people use these items as a way to stake their claim. If a blind or a trail cam is set up, others must just 'f off' and leave the area immediately. I have had hunters come at me for parking at the same trailhead. They were there first so the area is theirs. Funny thing is, who is to say who was first? I know a guy that saw a trail camera placed in an area he has hunted for 25 years. He did the moon salute as he triggered it. Turns out the owner of the camera got right pissed over that. My friend had no right to moon the camera and had no right to hunt that spot because it was obvious that another hunter was set up there. Really, true story. So, with the use of cameras, you can claim an area for yourself. All other hunters that hunt it are unethical dicks because that camera proves you were there first. Doesn't matter if you were still shitting yellow in your diaper when someone else was hunting it the old fashioned way. You put the modern technology there, you claimed it. It is yours.

I am not saying the lack of respect is restricted to any one group

Just an overall lack of respect not just the subject of trail cams, blinds, and bait stuff. I truly hate even settling up camp in well known hunting areas.

[Wild one]

Oh and Dana if you moon my cam I am posting it on a gay porn site lol

I might laugh and cringe at the pick but not get mad at all

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

I have 7 trail cameras. two are on our farm. The other five go out over most of region 8 and i move them around every two weeks. I've had bears tear them out of trees and iv had the cards disappear. But so far they have all come home. i hide then as good as i can, mostly near water. Trail cameras is a fun and rewarding hobby. My cameras go out from as soon as the snow leaves and come home the end of hunting season. last year i got over 1700 pics . everything from grizzlies to gophers. Im retired so all summer i spend my time on my cameras. i shot my buck oct.1 he had been watering at my camera all summer.

[HarryToolips]

^^I too have had sd cards stolen, and bears wreck cams....

To the OP you can do cams to your heart's content on crown land, but yes there's always risk of the above, or getting them stolen

[twoSevenO]

I own 7 myself
None have been stolen yet, or damaged by bears. I do consider myself lucky. But i wish i could know how many have been spotted by people (if any) and left alone. So far no people on any of them. However, one did have an unusual gap in the pictures. I have been wondering whether someone pulled the card, deleted some and put it back? I guess i'll never know ....

[rocksteady]

Confession...

I have gone full moon on someones cam..

Never stole it or broke it.. hope the owner had a good giggle

[Rieber]

I would rather not find a camera but if I did, I would likely bring a gorilla mask, next time and sneak up on the camera with the gorilla head on for a close up inspection.

[northof49]

^^^^you probably did find one or two....just never knew it.

[Rieber]

^^^^you probably did find one or two....just never knew it.

Yes, no doubt. I don't look up trees when I hunt deer so it's very possible. Since I won't walk in or out in the dark anymore I've never seen one flash so you may be right. Dang it - there is no privacy. Great, now if I crap in the woods is it going up on the Internet?

[caddisguy]

Me and caddisgirl have a little skit planned if we ever run into a cam. I guess I'll spoiler it. She's gonna pretend to smoke me in the head with a rock, treelimb or some other blunt object and then drag me out of sight from the cam. Hopefully it will make a good WTH moment for someone seeing the pics or video.

I think the "I put a camera there so nobody else can hunt it" is a bit of a derail. While I'm sure it happens and it is a ridiculous claim, it doesn't really have anything to do with the original post in regard to theft. It certainly doesn't justify theft (not clear if that if that is being implied, but I'd hope everyone here is better than that)

As for it being high tech spying or cheating, aside from putting up a bunch of cell cams and using them to hunt real time, that is also a ridiculous claim. It's pretty much a hobby in itself that takes time and energy away from hunting if you really get into it. I think I have only ever shot one bear I caught on cam a year or two prior. Didn't even realize it was the same bear until I was looking back at old footage. The trailcams certainly haven't helped me in any way. It's just lots of fun.

I feel like a little kid on Xmas morning when I do a cam run and know I have hundreds of unknown videos in my pocket. I've caught all sorts of surprises. I think I even take a good share of the credit for busting the "there's no whitetails in Region 2" myth LOL

Anyway, theft is theft. Anyone who takes someone else's stuff is a lowlife, period. Thankfully it does not seem to be incredibly common given how many people run multiple cams and have never had issues, or only with bears.